Head of Student Recruitment & Marketing

Newcastle University; Newcastle upon Tyne; Hybrid; GBP 48,000 - 51,000; Full time

Job summary

Newcastle University is seeking an experienced senior manager to head the Student Recruitment, Marketing and Communications team within the Faculty. The role focuses on delivering evidence-based recruitment strategies, managing a team of eight with two direct reports, and collaborating across faculties and central teams to meet targets.

You will operate from the Newcastle Upon Tyne campus with a hybrid and flexible working model, and occasional national/international travel is expected.

Qualifications

• Significant experience leading home and international student recruitment and marketing in higher education.
• Proven ability to develop, implement and evaluate evidence-based recruitment strategies.
• Experience in managing and developing a high-performing team.

Responsibilities

• Lead development and implementation of recruitment and marketing strategies to meet targets.
• Manage the Faculty Marketing and Student Recruitment Team and drive activity across disciplines.
• Oversee market research, outreach programs and brand alignment across the university.

Skills

High-level leadership

Student recruitment

Marketing strategy

Data-driven decision making

Strategic planning

Education

Degree level or equivalent

Job description

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Salary: £48,337 to £51,258 with progression to £57,666 per annum

Newcastle University is a great place to work, with excellent benefits . We have a generous holiday package; plus the opportunity to buy more, great pension schemes and a number of health and wellbeing initiatives to support you.

Closing Date: 3 November 2026

The Role

We have an exciting opportunity for an experienced student recruitment and marketing professional to join our Faculty and Head up the Student Recruitment, Marketing and Communications team.

You will be responsible for supporting a collaborative environment, fostering a culture of trust and mutual respect and championing the University’s values and guiding principles.

As a senior manager within the faculty, you will be a visible role model, demonstrating the highest standards of leadership and behaviour and contributing strategically to the development of an outstanding professional service.

You will be responsible leading and managing student recruitment and marketing activity across the faculty, with the key objective of meeting student recruitment targets. You will have 2 direct reports and will oversee a team of 8.

While you are based in one faculty, the role is highly collaborative with other faculties across the University as well as our central student recruitment team. You will support a broad range of academic and professional staff across the University and embed a culture of learning, development and mutual respect to ensure the provision of robust services.

In this role, you’ll be based at our Newcastle Upon Tyne campus that has fantastic transport links and state of the art facilities and we offer a hybrid and flexible working model.

Some national and international travel will be required and a driver’s license is desirable.

Key Accountabilities

• Lead the development and implementation of evidence-based student recruitment and marketing strategies and plans to meet student recruitment targets, ensuring all activity reflects University, Faculty and discipline strategic priorities and objectives, the University brand, and is directed appropriately at relevant market segments.
• Lead, motivate and manage the Faculty Marketing and Student Recruitment Team to devise, develop and implement a range of plans and activities to support the Faculty’s disciplines in their marketing and the recruitment and conversion of home and international, undergraduate and postgraduate students.
• Work in partnership with the Faculty’s academic disciplines, providing leadership and expert knowledge to shape and deliver student recruitment, conversion and marketing initiatives, with a focus on meeting targets and addressing the issues of greatest importance to disciplines.
• Ensure the delivery of a proactive, responsive and professional marketing and student recruitment service to the Faculty’s internal and external stakeholders.
• Oversee the Faculty’s market intelligence and market research activity, ensuring strategic decision making is evidence-based and new student recruitment, marketing and portfolio development opportunities are proactively identified and where appropriate acted on.
• Oversee the Faculty’s annual programme of outreach activities and student recruitment events, aligned with the requirements of the Office for Students and the University’s Access and Participation Plan.
• Work closely and proactively with colleagues across the Faculty and wider University to ensure strategies, plans and policies are closely aligned and that all activity is integrated.
• Responsible for reporting to senior Faculty and University staff and committees on objectives, plans and key performance indicators.
• Represent the Faculty on relevant University committees and working groups, ensuring policies and developments are aligned and communicated across the Faculty and staff are consulted where appropriate.
• Manage the Faculty student recruitment and marketing budget and scholarship funds, monitoring and evaluating all activity to ensure maximum value and return on investment.
• Maintain a high level of knowledge and expertise in areas directly related to student recruitment and marketing, including admissions, widening participation, funding packages, consumer rights and data protection, alongside a thorough understanding of the challenges and opportunities affecting domestic, EU and international student recruitment.
• Represent the Faculty and University in the UK and overseas.
• Undertake any other relevant duties as commensurate with the grade of post. The post holder will be required to be flexible and adapt as priorities and responsibilities may shift from time to time as the Faculty, disciplines and University respond to challenges and changes in the higher education sector.

The Person

Knowledge, Skills and Experience

• Significant experience of home and international, undergraduate and postgraduate student recruitment and marketing through progressive levels of roles in a Higher Education environment.
• Extensive experience of developing, implementing and evaluating evidence-based student recruitment and marketing strategies and plans for a wide range of audiences using the full marketing mix.
• Significant experience of leading, motivating and managing a high performing team.
• Outstanding communication skills, with demonstrable ability to persuade and influence stakeholders of all levels.
• Exceptional attention to detail and proven ability to perform accurately and effectively under pressure.
• Skilled report writer, with experience of manipulating and interpreting complex data to provide management information.
• Excellent analytical, numerical, and organisational skills, with a proven ability to think strategically and use a creative approach to problem solving.
• Evidence of using market insight to inform and influence strategic decision making.
• Ability to prioritise and effectively manage multiple projects and deliver targets against tight deadlines.
• Experience of budget management and ensuring value for money.
• Understanding of the external context and challenges which impact student recruitment and marketing in the UK’s higher education sector.
• Experience of working with or in key international markets for medical sciences programmes.
• Understanding of widening participation initiatives.
• Experience of event planning and management.

Attributes and Behaviour

• Highly motivated self-starter, with a track record of proactively identifying new opportunities and developing innovative, creative solutions to problems.
• Excellent interpersonal skills, with a proven ability to develop strong professional relationships with internal and external colleagues of all levels, with a focus on excellent customer service.
• A track record of working effectively across a complex organisation.
• Willingness to undertake UK and international travel and to work occasional unsociable hours as required.

Qualifications

• Qualified to degree level or equivalent.

Newcastle University is a global University where everyone is treated with dignity and respect. As a University of Sanctuary, we aim to provide a welcoming place of safety for all, offering opportunities to people fleeing violence and persecution.

We are committed to being a fully inclusive university which actively recruits, supports and retains colleagues from all sectors of society. We value diversity as well as celebrate, support and thrive on the contributions of all of our employees and the communities they represent. We are proud to be an equal opportunities employer and encourage applications from individuals who can complement our existing teams, we believe that success is built on having teams whose backgrounds and experiences reflect the diversity of our university and student population.

At Newcastle University we hold a Gold Athena Swan award in recognition of our good employment practices for the advancement of gender equality. We also hold a Race Equality Charter Bronze award in recognition of our work towards tackling race inequality in higher education REC. We are a Disability Confident employer and will offer an interview to disabled applicants who meet the essential criteria for the role as part of the offer and interview scheme.

In addition, we are a member of the Euraxess initiative supporting researchers in Europe.